The problem with currency...
As I've alluded in recent comments, and my most recent stream; it was recently my birthday.
For a few years now, I've been slowly filling a money tin with coins, notes, and spare change. It took me four years to get to the point I encountered just a few nights ago.
I had some friends over for dinner, and @ursa sneakily instructed them to bring loose change. The money tin was filled, and I was given free licence to open it. I did. This is what I found:
So like anyone logical would do, with a willing cohort of victims, I spilled out the contents onto the recently cleaned kitchen table.
Just prior to this photograph being taken, the groans of my house guests were heard for miles away. Still, we quickly got to task sorting the coins, and counting the amount of dollars present.
Neat stacks organised, and currency counted, after what felt like several hours of handling nickel-plated copper and bronze.
This money was then placed into bags, which were just missing the dollar signs...
Total weight: 15.97KG!
I don't bank with a local bank. In fact, my bank has no branches in Australia. As a result, I need to make deposits of cash at the local post-office, should cash come into my hands. I took this currency down to the local post office, and opened with:
"You're going to hate me."
The clerk looked a little confused. I placed my backpack on the scales that weigh parcels at the post office. The clerk's confusion grew.
"I have ... " I paused while the scale adjusted. "... that many kilograms of coins in this back-pack."
"You're right, I might actually hate you."
After explaining that they were all sorted, it was a simple manner of weighing all the coins, and discovering that there was over $1000 of currency present.
What's the problem with that, you might ask? The fact that this "wealth" weighed 15KG. It's a very inefficient way of storing value. Yes, we can have fancy numbers on a computer system in a centralised organisation; or we can hold metals that have intrinsic value; or alternatively; we can have a public/private key pair that stores an infinite amount of "currency".
After the ordeal handling all of these coins - I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll never buy another money tin again. What I'll do with my loose change? I'll try to spend it as I get it, instead of storing it in a really heavy tin.
It's a good thing you've given the world Defective Chocolate Spheres, so we don't have to deal with this problem any longer.
All those ERC20 tokens are worthless. BitShares tokens for the win!
As a helpless victim in this scenario I can truthfully say that I love counting coins, I may or may not have egged you on to tip them all out, I love searching for ‘hidden treasure’ (I really want to go opal mining one day! I love searching for things!!), I wish I had found a defected 1978 coin and your home cooked food was 👌 😂 I would dine there again!! And I think my Henna’d hand gives away my identity 😂😂🙌
Was great to have your company and glad you survived my cooking. Would happily host you and Jeni again!
I didn't help too much with the coins, but my job was to bring the wine right?
Bahaha! Well you kept your end of the deal 😆
Of course! 👌😜 #goodfriendsalwaysbringwine
Wow over $1000 In coins?! At almost 16kg too... so much and so heavy. Many years back coins were worth so much more, you could buy melas and weekly shop with a few coins, but today with inflation you would need to go into the shop with a bag. It’s a shame really....
I too collect my coins in a tin and every now and then count them all or put them into a coin bank - its great when you cash out!
It'll be going to a mortgage repayment, most likely!
Oh my gosh! All I can thing is 'poor house guests', 'poor clerk'. It's a nice amount though, coming from a can of change!
Also, late happy birthday :D
I secretly think @ursa prepared them for what was coming. They even agreed to eat the food I cooked for them. Such hapless, trusting victims! :P
All of them, also on steem!
Haha, good preparations and a nice surprise. Sounds like a good evening even if you were penny counting. All you need is good friends, right?
$1k in coins damn good thing you had
unwitting victimsfriends around to help you count it XDWe've got a money tin too, it only ever gets silvers if anything from me though because I use the gold shrapnel to buy chocolate at gymnastics so I have the sugar rush to drive home again XD
It was a great night, and I still tipped the correct number!
I use a credit union that has a coin sorter, but another method is to enter an establishment that has a room dedicated to pokies. There should be a coin exchange machine that converts various currencies into dollar coins, which can then be collected into buckets. $1000 is not exactly going to look in conspicuous though.
You can see why we invented notes! (And also electronic means of payment and then crypto...).
My guess is that you'll now be a busker's best friend. :D
Oddly, though, your whole point kinda goes away when you remember that coins and notes aren't actually valuable currency as they are promissory tender. They're a token that says that you are good for whatever you are exchanging it for. A $5 note is simply saying you have the bank-backed goods to support it.
Also: while the payment of the mortgage is a wise move, you're a dual-income home - feel free to spend it on something nice!
You must have a pretty sturdy backpack to hold all that weight! Surprised the bottom didn't fall out!